Woodbury council OKs Portillo's restaurant
Following murmurs of expanding to Minnesota last year, Portillo's, the suburban Chicago-based chain known best for its Chicago-style dogs and Italian beef sandwiches, is officially coming to Woodbury. At its Nov. 9 meeting the Woodbury City Council approved the restaurant's building plan near the intersection of Hudson Road and Radio Drive...
2 new restaurants coming from Via Vite owner
by Polly Campbell Cristian Pietoso, owner of Via Vite restaurant, Downtown, will be busy over the next few months, opening two new restaurants. First to open will be in the space of M Woodfired Grill in Hyde Park. The not-yet-named restaurant will be a traditional Italian osteria. "Via Vite is traditional, but with a more mod...
Bertolli Brand Celebrates 150 Years of Italian Heritage with #MyTuscanTable Campaign Benefitting No Kid Hungry
In 1865, Francesco Bertolli changed the Italian food landscape forever with the creation of his iconic Bertolli Olive Oil. The Bertolli Empire continues to deliver on its Tuscan heritage with a collection of traditional pasta sauces and delicious frozen meals added to the product lineup. For 150 years, Bertolli products have been helping f...
Buona Beef to open St. Charles location Aug. 4
by Charles Menchaca The St. Charles location of a popular Chicago-area restaurant chain is scheduled to open next month. Buona Beef will open at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 4 at 2425 W. Main St., St. Charles, Assistant Marketing Director Jimmy Buonavolanto wrote in an email. This is the 15th Buona Beef restaurant to open in the Chicago...
Italian restaurant in works at Westin
The Westin Hotel under construction in downtown Milwaukee will have an Italian restaurant when it opens next summer. Jeffrey Hess, general manager of the Westin being built at 550 N. Van Buren St., said the concept and menu of the restaurant are still under development, but added it would have "an Italian frame of reference, with a unique...
Cooking with Herbs in Umbria at Eataly Chicago
Every month Eataly brings its guests closer to a different region of Italy through its food, wine and culture. Throughout the month of November Eataly will be featuring the region of Umbria with a series of classes focused on wines and traditional dishes from this region. Cooking with fresh herbs is at the heart of Italian cuisine. In Umb...
Luca Italian Cuisine in Cleveland mixes unique menu with stellar views
By John Petkovic It's one thing to roll out discounted plates. Yes, Luca does that during Happy Hour. But there's much more to this place than what your bill is going to look like when you walk out the door. Located on Superior Viaduct -- the site of the Cleveland's first high-level bridge, built in 1878 –Luca Italian Cuisine offe...
A Tradition of Meatballs in Cleveland
By Nikki Delamotte "I can remember as a child watching both grandmothers and my mom rolling the meatballs," says Bo Santosuosso, co-owner of Johnny's on Fulton (3164 Fulton Rd., 216-281-0055, johnnyscleveland.com). Squeezing through the narrow restaurant's sea of suits and ties, Santosuosso makes his way behind the bar. He wo...
Gervasi Vineyard brings a bit of Italy to Canton
If you're thinking of renting a place in Tuscany, don't bother – there's really nothing available. Every "Seinfeld" fan knows that, right? But you could always go to Canton. If you think that's not the same, well, you're right – it hit 60 degrees in the Tuscany region of Italy this winter, while temperatures in Canton on some day...
A spotlight on Piedmont at Osteria Langhe in Logan Square
Most Italian restaurants in Chicago try to recreate dishes from a particular region, but usually it's a generic "southern" or "northern" style. The team behind a Logan Square Italian restaurant is much more focused than that, pouring all of their energy into a restaurant devoted to just one region: Piedmont. Chef Cameron Grant spends quite...
Sabatino's Survives on Old School Italian-American Charm
Located on a bustling stretch of Irving Park Road, Sabatino's is as mired in the past, with a clientele that keeps aging alongside it, as everyone says it is. When I stopped in at 6 p.m. for a Wednesday evening dinner, the first wave of early birders were already on their way out the door. Though the sun was still shining, it felt very, ve...
Holy Grail at The Banks expands with Italian
by Larry Davis Since it first opened its doors in 2011, crowds have packed the Holy Grail. It was the first establishment in at the Banks and it has a key location right across the street from Great American Ball Park. Co-owner Paul Goebel says The Banks has been good for the "Grail." "We were, actually about half the streets were...